Simile of the Cave

1. Socrates asks Glaucon to suppose that one of the prisoners is freed and leaves the cave (p. 242 section 515d). What happens to the prisoner when he gets outside? Why does this happen to the prisoner?

When the prisoner gets outside, he is blinded by the sun's rays. This happens because all of his life he has been in the cave and the only light he has seen was the light's glow that was behind him when he was chained up and they were doing shadow puppets. The only light he saw was the glow. When he gets outside, the sun's rays are much stronger than that light. He can feel the heat of the sun and the ray's are something he has not experienced before since he has been in the cave since birth.

2. Socrates states that the prisoners would try to kill anyone who tries to liberate them and lead them out of the cave (pp. 243 – 244 section 517a). Why would the prisoners kill someone who is trying to lead them outside?

The prisoners would try to kill someone who is trying to lead them outside because they wouldn't trust someone they had never seen or knew because they have been in the cave since birth. The only things they saw were silhouettes of hand puppetry that they thought were animals. The only truth they know is what their eyes see. So never having seen a person before might be threatening and make them scared.

3. While reading pages 243-244 (section 517) keep in mind that the cave represents the way society actually is, while the sun (visible outside the cave) represents knowledge that could make for a better society. Don’t let the wording confuse you, Socrates sometimes calls the outside “the intelligible region” and associates it with “the divine.”

What is special about “the intelligible region” and why is it important for public servants/political leaders (p. 244 section 517 b and e) ?

The "intelligible region" is special because it shows the truth and society today is really having a hard time knowing what the truth is in our society. Who is telling the truth? The government? The Republicans? Is anyone telling the truth. Trust is a hard thing. It's a confusing. It's important for political leaders to know the truth because if they know the truth then usually that leads to happiness. It's usually better to tell the truth than to make things up.

4. What is wrong with having uneducated people run society? What is wrong with having intellectuals (i.e. well-educated people) run society (p. 323 section 519c)?

It is wrong to have uneducated people run society because they don't fully understand what they are doing. Usually a good leader is intelligent and knows what's going on in their society. It is wrong to have intellectuals run society because some times people know too much; for example, Ghengis Khan was a brilliant military strategist, but he brought violence to the world of Asia and Europe by conquering all that land. The aftermath was devastating. Sometimes even though someone is an intelligent leader doesn't mean that person is a good leader. Sometimes their personality can be bad.

5. On pp. 323 – 324 (section 519 section d – section 520) Socrates tells Glaucon what the “job” of a lawmaker is. What is the job of a lawmaker and how is a lawmaker supposed to influence the best minds?

The job of a lawmaker is to use judgment and they are encouraged to have the highest form of knowledge to prevent people from behaving how they shouldn't. Their judgment should be based on justice.